(WBEN) - State lawmakers on Wednesday passed an eighth budget extender that buys more time for them to come to an agreement on a permanent budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Instead of rushing to get something passed, Governor Kathy Hochul so far seems in no hurry to get something done that doesn't include her preferred policy proposals. It's something she has done in previous years, even coining the term "Good things happen in April" to hammer home the point that a late budget can yield results for her agenda.
It's a stark contrast to former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who would take a literal victory lap across the state to celebrate budgets being passed on time.
"As long as they're passing these extenders and the State workforce is getting paid and the State is operating, there isn't a lot of incentive (to get a budget passed)," said Albany Insider Jack O'Donnell of O'Donnell and Associates. "The Governor feels like she's got an incentive to hold it up, that's her leverage in the situation."
The delay is frustrating legislators who will be left with just about a month to pass their priority legislation that may have a greater impact in their districts.
"We've heard recently from Speaker Carl Heastie how unfair that is and it needs to change, but that's the way it is and it's not going to change any time soon," O'Donnell said.
The big issues still holding up the budget moving forward include changes to the state's climate law and auto insurance laws.
